A Newton County school bus driver may be cited after colliding with another school bus, sending dozens of students and adults to local hospitals.
The crash involving 53 students and adults occurred Tuesday outside of Rocky Plains Elementary School on Highway 162 in Covington.
Georgia State Patrol officials said the first bus had slowed down to unload a child when the second bus rammed it from behind.
Forty-three students and adults were taken by EMS or by school bus to Newton Medical Center and Rockdale Medical Center. One parent told Channel 2 Action News she had to take her daughter to the hospital hours after the crash because the school did not.
"My concern was, 'How did you all pick who was going to the hospital and who wasn't?' Because of something like that, my thing was how do you know what kid is really injured and who wasn't?" parent Melinda Davidson said.
School administrators responded that all the children were treated at the scene and other medics were present "to address any medical issues not reported at the scene."
The bus driver accused of causing the wreck reportedly suffered a broken sternum. She was not identified. Most of the students' injuries consisted of bumps, bruises and one report of a chipped tooth, officials said.
Twins Amberly and Dominic Bruce, passengers in the bus that was struck, were transported the Newton Medical Center shortly after the crash.
"I couldn't really see anything, just black. And when I woke up, I just felt the bus moving and when I looked down at the ground, there was glass everywhere," Amberly said. "(I was) super scared. Everybody on the bus was crying and screaming and everything."
Kara Bruce, Amberly's mother, said she had a chipped tooth and suffered a concussion from the impact.
The driver who allegedly caused the crash might be cited for following too closely, GSP officials said. The bus driver's daughter, Alissa Pruitt, said her mother, although hurt, was more worried about the children on the bus.
"She said the steering wheel was shoved back into her," Pruitt said. "She's not worried about herself. She's worried about all the children."